A/HRC/35/38 Programme to sensitize schoolchildren to leprosy with a view to stopping the stigma and discrimination faced by persons affected by leprosy and their family members. 42 The National Human Rights Commission had also conducted workshops on the topic of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members and submitted several recommendations to the Government, including on the implementation of the principles and guidelines. It was still awaiting action by the Government. 43 48. Most of the responses from associations of and NGOs working with persons affected by leprosy underlined that, even where policies and laws, including laws for persons with disabilities that were applicable to women, children and other vulnerable groups, had been adopted, they had not always been effectively implemented, which was evidence that stigma and discrimination against women, children and other vulnerable groups affected by leprosy still prevailed. The same applied to measures taken by Governments in that respect. The importance of the need for Governments to take specific policy and legal measures to promote and protect the human rights of women, children and other vulnerable groups affected by leprosy and their family members was underlined. 44 F. Discriminatory policies and laws 49. The responses indicated that some States had taken positive steps in repealing or amending laws that discriminated against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, including laws that provided for forced segregation and isolation of persons affected by leprosy and their family members. 45 50. In Japan, the revised 1953 Leprosy Prevention Law was repealed in 1996, thereby putting an end to the policy of isolation and segregation of persons affected by leprosy and their family members, who have since had the freedom to choose where to live. In 2001, the Government issued a law to compensate persons who had been interned in leprosariums. The Act on Promoting the Resolution of Hansen’s Disease Issues came into force in 2009. It obliges the central and local governments to implement measures for the promotion of the welfare and restoration of honour, among others, of persons affected by leprosy in order to realize a society free from discrimination, including against women, children and other vulnerable groups. The 2009 Act also provides that no person shall act in a manner that discriminates against or infringes on any rights or interests of persons affected by leprosy. Full implementation of the 2009 Act would be tantamount to the implementation of the principles and guidelines. 51. In Brazil, the last discriminatory law against persons affected by Hansen’s disease was repealed in the 1990s. In 2007, a bill was passed by Parliament to provide financial support and compensation to persons affected by Hansen’s disease who were living in leprosy colonies, including a lifetime public pension and access to quality leprosy-related services at all levels. Legislation to provide similar support to children who had been forcibly separated from their parents at birth in the leprosy colonies was currently under consideration. It was mentioned that 2 states in Brazil had transferred property to Hansen’s disease patients, making them owners of property within the leprosy colonies and that, in another state, discussion was under way to that effect. However, that state had recently demolished public buildings and was considering relocating people from the leprosy colony to a farther region.46 52. Bangladesh enacted a law in 2011 repealing the Lepers Act of 1898, which isolated persons affected by leprosy from society and from their own families. 47 China repealed a law in 2011, which prohibited persons affected by leprosy from marrying; and Ethiopia 42 43 44 45 46 47 Response from the National Human Rights Commission (India). Response from IDEA-India. Responses from IDEA-Nepal, FOKAD (Democratic Republic of the Congo), ENAPAL (Ethiopia), HANDA (China), IDEA-India, The Leprosy Mission Trust (India), The Leprosy Mission-Bangladesh, MORHAN (Brazil), Fontilles-India, The Leprosy Mission-Nepal, Netherlands Leprosy ReliefMekong (Viet Nam). Responses from Japan, Viet Nam and the National Human Rights Commission (Rwanda). Responses from MORHAN (Brazil) and Netherlands Leprosy Relief-Brazil. Response from Lepra-Bangladesh. 11